OPPOSITION ENCOUNTERED AT STETTIN. 15 it here, as often happens, into discredit. The Pommeranians were now at precisely that point of culture which the apostle Paul, in the seventh of the Epistle to the Romans, describes as a life without the law. Possessing the simplicity, openness, and innocence of primitive manners, and enjoying a degree of temporal prosperity which was the natural result of a favourable climate,* soil, and location, they were as yet ignorant of the conflicts between law and lust, and of the strifes of contrary interests, and hence exempt from the evils that grow out of them, as well as unconscious of many wants difficult to be satisfied, but very sure to be called forth in a people making the transition from a state of nature to civilization. Fraud and theft were crimes unknown among them; nothing was kept under lock and key.† The hospitality which usually distinguishes a people at this stage of culture existed among them to an eminent degree. Every head of a family had a room especially consecrated to the reception of guests, in which was kept a table constantly spread for their entertainment. Thus the evils were here absent, by which man is made conscious of the sin lurking in his nature, and thereby brought to feel his need of redemption. If physical well-being were man's highest end, they had the best reason for rejecting that which would tear them away from this happy state of nature. Now when, from this point of view, they compared their own condition with that of the Christian nations of Germany, and made up their judgment from the facts which were first presented to them, as they could see nothing to envy in the condition of the latter, so they saw nothing in the religion to which they attributed this condition that could recommend it to their acceptance. Amongst the Christians, said the more respectable citizens of Stettin, are to be found thieves and pirates. Some people have to lose their feet, others their eyes; every species of crime and of punishment abounds amongst them; * The unknown author of the Life of Otto, after mentioning the plenty of game, the numerous herds of cattle, the abundance of wheat and of honey, remarks: "Si vitem et oleum et ficum haberet, terram putares esse repromissionis propter copiam fructiferorum." "Tanta fides et societas est inter eos, ut furtorum et fraudum penitus inexperti, cistas aut scrinia non habeant serata. Nam seram vel clavem ibi non viderunt, sed ipsi admodum mirati sunt, quod clitellas et scrinia episcopi serata viderunt." 16 BAPTISM OF TWO BROTHERS BY OTTO. Christian abhors Christian: far from us be such a religion. Still Otto, with his companions, tarried more than two months in Stettin, patiently expecting some change in their determination. As this, however, did not take place, it was concluded to send a message to duke Boleslav of Poland, with a detailed report of the ill success attending the mission. The citizens of Stettin, when they heard of this, were alarmed. They now declared that it was their intention to send with these delegates an embassy of their own to Poland, and, in case they could obtain a solid and permanent peace, together with a diminution of tribute, they were willing on such conditions to embrace Christianity. In the mean time bishop Otto was not idle. On the marketdays, which occurred twice a week, when numbers of countrypeople came into the town, he appeared in public, dressed in his episcopal robes, with the crosier borne before him, and harangued the assembled multitude on the doctrines of the Christian faith. The pomp in which he appeared, and curiosity to hear what he had to say, drew many around him; but the faith gained no admittance. He strove first of all, by his own example, the example of a life actuated by the spirit of Christian love, to do away the impression which the citizens of Stettin had received of the Christian faith from looking at the life of the great mass of Christians; to make it by this means practically evident to them, that there was a still higher principle of life than any which man knows while living in a state of nature, however felicitous in other respects. With his own money he redeemed many captives, and, having provided them with clothes and the means of subsistence, sent them home to their friends. One event, however, contributed in an especial manner to make the pious, benevolent life of the bishop generally known, and to attract towards him the minds of the youth. Many secret Christians were living even in this part of Pommerania, and among the number of these was a woman belonging to one of the first families in Stettin. Having been carried away captive in her youth from a Christian land, she had married a man of wealth and consideration, by whom she had two sons. Although remaining true to her faith, yet she did not venture, in the midst of a pagan people, to appear openly as a Christian. None the less sincere on that account was her BAPTISM OF TWO BROTHERS BY OTTO. 17 joy, when bishop Otto came to the city where she lived: these feelings, however, she dared not express aloud, nor to go over to him before the face of the world. Perhaps it was not without the exertion of some influence on her part that her two sons were led to pay frequent visits to the clergy, and to make inquiries of them respecting the Christian faith. The bishop did not fail to make the most of this opportunity, by instructing them, step by step, in all the leading doctrines of Christianity. He found the young men had susceptible minds. They declared themselves convinced, and requested that they might be prepared for baptism. This was done; and the bishop agreed upon a day, with them, when they should return and receive baptism. They were baptized, with all the accustomed ceremonial of the church, without any knowledge of the transaction on the part of their parents. After this they remained eight days in the bishop's house, in order to observe, with due solemnity, their octave as neophytes. Their mother, in the mean while, got notice of what had been done before the whole time of the octave had expired. Full of joy, she sent a message to the bishop, requesting to see her sons. He received her, seated in the open air on a bank of turf, surrounded by his clergy, the young men at his feet clothed in their white robes. The latter, on beholding their mother at a distance, started up, and bowing to the bishop, as if to ask his permission, hastened to meet her. At the sight of her sons in their white robes of baptism, the mother, who had kept her Christianity concealed for so many years, overcome by her feelings, sunk weeping to the ground. The bishop and his clergy hurried to her in alarm: raising the woman from the earth, they strove to quiet her mind, supposing she had fainted from the violence of her grief. But as soon as she could command herself, and find language to express her feelings, they were undeceived. "I praise thee," were her first words, "Lord Jesus Christ, thou source of all hope and of all consolation, that I behold my sons initiated into thy sacraments, enlightened by the faith in thy divine truth." Then, kissing and embracing her sons, she added: "For thou knowest, my Lord Jesus Christ, that for many years I have not ceased, in the secret recesses of my heart, to recommend these youths to thy compassion, beseeching thee to do in them that which thou now hast done." Next, turning to the bishop, she thus VOL. VII. 18 INFLUENCE OF THIS CHRISTIAN FAMILY. addressed him:-"Blessed be the day of your coming to this city, for, if you will but persevere, a great church shall here be gathered to the Lord. Do not allow yourselves to grow impatient by any delay. Behold! I myself, who stand here before you, do, by the aid of Almighty God, encouraged by your presence, reverend father, but also throwing myself on the help of these my children, confess that I am a Christian, a truth which till now I dared not openly acknowledge.' She then proceeded to relate her whole story. The bishop thanked God for the wonderful leadings of his grace; he assured the woman of his hearty sympathy, said many things to strengthen and encourage her in the faith, and presented her with a costly robe of fur. At the expiration of the eight days, when the newly-baptized laid aside their white robes, he made them a valuable present of fine raiment, and, having given them the Holy Supper, dismissed them to go home. This remarkable occurrence was immediately attended with many important consequences. That Christian woman, who had hitherto kept her religion a secret, now that she had taken the first step and gathered courage, freely and openly avowed her faith, and became herself a preacher of the gospel. Through her influence, her domestics, also her neighbours and friends, and her entire family, were induced to receive baptism. The two young men became preachers to the youth. First, they spoke of the bishop's disinterested love, ever active in promoting the good of mankind; then of the new, comforting, bliss-conferring truths which they had heard from his lips. The youth flocked to the bishop; many were instructed and baptized by him. The young became teachers of the old, and numbers every day presented themselves openly for baptism. But when the father of the two young men who were first baptized came to be informed that his whole family had become Christians, he was exceedingly troubled and indignant at hearing it. The prudent wife, finding that he was returning home in this state of feeling, despatched some of his kinsmen and friends to meet him with comforting and soothing words, while she herself prayed incessantly for his conversion; and when he got home, and saw so many of his fellow-citizens and neighbours already living as Christians, his opposition gradually gave way, till finally he consented to be baptized himself. When thus, by influences purely spiritual, the way had been BOLESLAV'S LETTER TO THE STETTINERS. 19 prepared for the triumph of Christianity and the downfall of paganism in Stettin, the messengers sent to the Polish duke came back, announcing that they had accomplished the object of their mission. The duke, in the very beginning of his letter, proclaimed himself an enemy to all pagans; at the same time he assured them that, if they would abide faithfully by their promise, and embrace Christianity, they might look for peace and amity on a solid foundation; otherwise they must expect to see their territory laid waste by fire and sword, and to experience his eternal enmity. He first reproached them for the rude behaviour which they had shown at the preaching of the gospel; but declared that, notwithstanding all this, yielding to the earnest desires of the ambassador, and especially of bishop Otto, he was determined to forgive them, and to grant them peace on more favourable terms than ever, provided that henceforth they would faithfully observe the conditions they had themselves proposed, and show docility to their religious teachers. The favourable impression produced by this reply was improved to the utmost by the bishop. He proposed at once to the assembled people that, inasmuch as the worship of the true God was incapable of being united with the worship of idols, in order to prepare a dwelling henceforth for the living God, all the monuments of idolatry should be destroyed; but as they still clung to their belief in the reality and power of these gods, and dreaded their vengeance, he with his clergy proposed to go forward and set them the example. Signing themselves with the cross, the true preservative from all evil, and armed with hatchets and pickaxes, they would proceed to demolish all those monuments of idolatry; and if they remained unharmed, it should be a token to all that they had nothing to fear from the gods, but might safely follow the example he had given them. This was done. The first monument destroyed was a temple dedicated to the Slavic god Triglav, containing an image of that divinity, and decorated on its inner walls with various works of sculpture and paintings in oil. In this temple were many precious articles; for the tenth part of all the spoils obtained in war was consecrated to this deity, and deposited here. Abundance of costly offerings were here to be found ; goblets of horn ornamented with precious stones, golden bowls, knives, and poniards of beautiful workmanship. All these articles |